As an animal-derived food, pork provides Chinese consumers with important nutritional value. The frequent safety incidents related to pork-made food have led the government and public advocate that a ...traceability system is as an effective means of controlling food quality and safety. This paper thus introduces a mobile pork quality and safety tracing system based on 2D (two-dimensional) barcode (also known as QR code) technology. First, literature search and field observations are used to evaluate the business processes in pork supply chain and key traceability information in the system. Then, a mobile solution based on 2D barcode technology for information collection, transformation, and delivery is designed. Finally, a pilot implementation in Jilin Province's Meat and Meat Products Safety Traceability and Regulatory Digitization Project is reported. The traceability system was integrated with the government supervision system to achieve the supervision and traceability of pork from source to table. Implementation results reveal that the system can realize batch-based traceability of pork, which greatly decreases traceability system cost. Additionally, the information verification mechanism between upstream and downstream players, as well as the full participation of consumers, enterprises, and the government, significantly improve the credibility of the traced information.
•A pork mobile traceability system with 2D barcode technology has been developed.•The solution can trace all sections of the pork supply chain and coordinate the pork production process.•The solution is cost effective, easy to use, and credible.•The solution can support different stakeholders, e.g. companies, government, and consumers.•The effectiveness of the solution has been proved by a real government project.
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sample is a gold mine of resources for molecular diagnosis and retrospective clinical studies. Although molecular technologies have expanded the range ...of mutations identified in FFPE samples, the applications of existing technologies are limited by the low nucleic acids yield and poor extraction quality. As a result, the routine clinical applications of molecular diagnosis using FFPE samples has been associated with many practical challenges. NanoString technologies utilize a novel digital color-coded barcode technology based on direct multiplexed measurement of gene expression and offer high levels of precision and sensitivity. Each color-coded barcode is attached to a single target-specific probe corresponding to a single gene which can be individually counted without amplification. Therefore, NanoString is especially useful for measuring gene expression in degraded clinical specimens. Areas covered: This article describes the applications of NanoString technologies in molecular diagnostics and challenges associated with its applications and the future development. Expert commentary: Although NanoString technology is still in the early stages of clinical use, it is expected that NanoString-based cancer expression panels would play more important roles in the future in classifying cancer patients and in predicting the response to therapy for better personal therapeutic care.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing an electronic health record (EHR)–integrated mobile dispense tracking solution.
Methods
This quasi-experimental ...study was conducted at Houston Methodist Hospital. The study timeframe consisted of 1-year pre- and postimplementation phases, with a 1-month washout period. The medication tracking function was implemented in a multiphase approach. The primary endpoint was the weekly redispense rate due to missing medication or delay in delivery. The secondary endpoints were total redispenses due to missing medication or delay in delivery per 1,000 medication messages and per 1,000 inpatient discharges and dispense tracking scanning compliance post implementation.
Results
Analyses demonstrated a sustained decrease in redispenses from 3.24% to 2.70% (95% CI, 0.10-0.60; P = 0.006). The study also demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in redispenses per 1,000 medication messages from 190 to 127 (95% CI, –27.21 to –4.23, P = 0.008). Analysis of redispenses per 1,000 patient discharges showed a nonsignificant reduction after implementation from 216 to 194 (95% CI, 54.63 to –77.71; P = 0.730). The department achieved 90.7% dispense tracking compliance.
Conclusion
EHR-integrated mobile dispense tracking technology effectively reduced the redispense rate and total redispenses normalized to medication messages for missing medication and delay in delivery. Interprofessional collaboration and effective change management strategies are essential to the successful implementation of medication dispense tracking technology.
Clonal evolution has gained immense attention in explaining cancer cell status, history, and fate during cancer progression. Current single-cell or spatial transcriptome technologies have broadened ...our understanding of various mechanisms underlying cancer initiation, relapse, and drug resistance. However, technical challenges still hinder a better understanding of the dynamics of distinctive phenotypic states and abnormal trajectories from normal physiological transition to malignant stages. Cellular barcoding enabled lineage tracing on parallelly massive cells at single-cell resolution through different mechanisms lately, enabling new insights into exploring developmental trajectories, cancer progression, and targeted therapies. This review summarizes the latest noteworthy and robust strategies for different types of cellular barcodes. To introduce the major characteristics, advantages and limitations of these different strategies, this review will further guide in choosing or improving cellular barcoding technologies and their applications in cancer research.
•This paper compares the strengths and weaknesses of “natural” and “man-made” cellular barcodes.•It discusses how barcode-based “real-time” strategies can provide more accurate cellular lineage analysis and cell identification than algorithm-based “pseudo-time” strategies.
The application of information technology in all areas represents a significant facilitation of all business processes and activities. A competitive business system is hardly imaginable without ...adequate information technology. Therefore, this paper evaluates the conditions for the implementation of barcode technology in a warehouse system of a company for the manufacture of brown paper. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) matrix was formed with a total of 27 elements based on which the benefits of the implementation of barcode technology in the warehouse system need to be analysed. For this purpose, a new fuzzy PIPRECIA (PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment) method has been developed to evaluate all elements in SWOT matrix. In addition, a part of the new developed approach includes new fuzzy scales for criterion assessment that are adapted to the methodology required by the fuzzy PIPRECIA method. To determine the consistency of the method, Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients are applied. The results obtained in this study show that weaknesses are most noticeable in the current system. By implementing barcode technology, it is possible to create opportunities defined in SWOT matrix, which, in a very efficient way, allow elimination of the current weaknesses of the system.
Abstract
Background
Medication errors are a common problem in hospitals and a major driver of adverse patient outcomes. Barcode verification technology is a promising strategy to help ensure safe ...medication preparation practices.
Objectives
The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the effects of a barcode-assisted medication preparation and administration system regarding the rate of medication preparation errors and (ii) to compare the time spent on medication preparation tasks by medical staff.
Methods
A quasi-experimental study with a pre–post design was conducted, from August 2017 to July 2018, in two mixed medical/surgical units of a tertiary teaching hospital. The primary aim was to assess the effects of a barcode-based electronically assisted medication preparation and administration system linked to the hospital’s electronic medication administration record regarding the rate of medication preparation errors and time-based staff performance. Data were collected using direct observation. Adjusted and unadjusted logistic models were used for error frequencies and linear regression models for time performance.
Results
5932 instances of medication selection and dosing during 79 medication preparation procedures were observed. The overall medication preparation error incidence decreased from 9.9% at baseline to 4.5% at post-intervention, corresponding to a relative risk reduction of 54.5% (P < 0.001). However, the adjusted effect by registered nurses (RNs) and nurses’ work experience of total medication preparation errors showed only borderline significance (odds ratio OR 0.64, P = 0.051). For adjusted error-specific analyses, significant error reductions were found in wrong medication errors (OR 0.38, P < 0.010) and wrong dosage errors (OR 0.12, P = 0.004). Wrong patient, wrong form and ambiguous dispenser errors did not occur at post-intervention. Errors of omission (OR 1.53, P = 0.17), additional doses (OR 0.63, P = 0.64) and wrong dispenser boxes (OR 0.51, P = 0.11) did not change significantly. The time necessary to prepare medications for a 24-h period also decreased significantly—from 30.2 min to 17.2 min (beta = −6.5, P = 0.047), while mean preparation time per individual medication dose fell from 24.3 s to 15.1 s (beta = −5.0, P = 0.002).
Conclusion
Use of the new barcode technology significantly reduced the rate of some medication preparation errors in our sample. Moreover, the time necessary for medication preparation, both per 24-h period and per single-medication dose, was significantly reduced.
Optimization of logistics processes and activities in the function of supply-chain sustainability is a great challenge for logistics companies. It is necessary to rationalize processes in accordance ...with the strict requirements of the market, while respecting aspects of sustainability, which is not an easy task. Multicriteria decision making can be a tool that contributes to the optimization of logistics processes in terms of making the right decisions and evaluating different strategies in different logistics subsystems. In this paper, we considered the warehousing system as one of the most important logistics subsystems in a company. Conditions and the possibility of implementing barcode technology in order to optimize warehousing processes were evaluated. We formed a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) matrix consisting of a total of 27 elements. In order to determine the weights of all factors at the first level of decision making and its indicators at the second level of the decision making hierarchy, an original model was developed. This model involved the creation of a novel grey full-consistency method (FUCOM-G) and integration with a SWOT analysis. Since it was a matter of group decision making, we developed a novel grey Hamy aggregator that, by adequately treating uncertainties and ambiguities, contributed to making more precise decisions. The original grey FUCOM-SWOT model based on the grey Hamy aggregator represents a contribution to the entire field of decision making and optimization of logistics processes. Based on the applied model, the obtained results showed that Weaknesses, as part of the SWOT matrix, are currently the most dominant indicators, and that the implementation of barcode technology in a warehousing system is justified.
To measure the effects associated with sequential implementation of electronic medication storage and inventory systems and product verification devices on pharmacy technical accuracy and rates of ...potential medication dispensing errors in an academic medical center.
During four 28-day periods of observation, pharmacists recorded all technical errors identified at the final visual check of pharmaceuticals prior to dispensing. Technical filling errors involving deviations from order-specific selection of product, dosage form, strength, or quantity were documented when dispensing medications using (a) a conventional unit dose (UD) drug distribution system, (b) an electronic storage and inventory system utilizing automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) within the pharmacy, (c) ADCs combined with barcode (BC) verification, and (d) ADCs and BC verification utilized with changes in product labeling and individualized personnel training in systems application.
Using a conventional UD system, the overall incidence of technical error was 0.157% (24/15,271). Following implementation of ADCs, the comparative overall incidence of technical error was 0.135% (10/7,379; P = .841). Following implementation of BC scanning, the comparative overall incidence of technical error was 0.137% (27/19,708; P = .729). Subsequent changes in product labeling and intensified staff training in the use of BC systems was associated with a decrease in the rate of technical error to 0.050% (13/26,200; P = .002).
Pharmacy ADCs and BC systems provide complementary effects that improve technical accuracy and reduce the incidence of potential medication dispensing errors if this technology is used with comprehensive personnel training.
Abstract Background and objective Accurately recording vaccine lot number, expiration date, and product identifiers, in patient records is an important step in improving supply chain management and ...patient safety in the event of a recall. These data are being encoded on two-dimensional (2D) barcodes on most vaccine vials and syringes. Using electronic vaccine administration records, we evaluated the accuracy of lot number and expiration date entered using 2D barcode scanning compared to traditional manual or drop-down list entry methods. Methods We analyzed 128,573 electronic records of vaccines administered at 32 facilities. We compared the accuracy of records entered using 2D barcode scanning with those entered using traditional methods using chi-square tests and multilevel logistic regression. Results When 2D barcodes were scanned, lot number data accuracy was 1.8 percentage points higher (94.3–96.1%, P < 0.001) and expiration date data accuracy was 11 percentage points higher (84.8–95.8%, P < 0.001) compared with traditional methods. In multivariate analysis, lot number was more likely to be accurate (aOR = 1.75; 99% CI, 1.57–1.96) as was expiration date (aOR = 2.39; 99% CI, 2.12–2.68). When controlling for scanning and other factors, manufacturer, month vaccine was administered, and vaccine type were associated with variation in accuracy for both lot number and expiration date. Conclusion Two-dimensional barcode scanning shows promise for improving data accuracy of vaccine lot number and expiration date records. Adapting systems to further integrate with 2D barcoding could help increase adoption of 2D barcode scanning technology.
Large-scale and long-term studies are not sufficient to determine the efficiency that IT solutions can bring to transfusion safety.
This quality-improvement report describes our continuous efforts to ...implement and upgrade a bar code-based transfusion management (BCTM) system since 2011 and examines its effectiveness and sustainability in reducing blood transfusion errors, in a 3000-bed tertiary hospital, where more than 60,000 prescriptions of blood transfusion are covered by 2500 nurses each year.
The BCTM system uses barcodes for patient identification, onsite labeling, and blood product verification, through wireless connection to the hospital information systems. Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were used to improve the process. Process maps before and after implementation of the BCTM system in 2011 were drawn to highlight the changes. The numbers of incorrect labeling or wrong blood in tube incidents that occurred quarterly were plotted on a run chart to monitor the quality changes of each intervention introduced. The annual occurrences of error events from 2011 to 2017 were compared with the mean occurrence of 2008-2010 to determine whether implementation of the BCTM system could effectively reduce the number of errors in 2016 and whether this reduction could persist in 2017.
The error rate decreased from 0.03% in 2008-2010 to 0.002% in 2016 (P<.001) and 0.001% in 2017 (P<.001) after implementation of the BTCM system. Only one incorrect labeling incident was noted among the 68,324 samples for blood typing, and no incorrect transfusions occurred among 67,423 transfusion orders in 2017.
This report demonstrates that continuous efforts to upgrade the existing process is critical to reduce errors in transfusion therapy, with support from information technology.
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